Men like to store stuff; and most of it d relegated to the garage.

Fortunately, alet boxes are available which actually kept in and make great gifts for guys. forms of decoration is marquetry.

usually is the despair of their wives an decorative wooden chests, accessory or v enhance the appearance of rooms they are One of the most attractive and elaborate

When it comes to fine craftsmanship - a dying art in this wired century - marque try is right up there. Marquetry is the name given to the craft of making intric ate designs or pictures by covering a plain surface with two or more layers of w ood veneer. The overall effect is quite dazzling. Marquetry in some form has been around for 3000 years, dating back to ancient Eg ypt. It was also known as inlay and involved the gluing precious and decorative material into or onto a flat solid wooden base to produce mosaics depicting cult ural and religious themes. The technique of marquetry using exotic woods origin ated in 16th century Florence and in Antwerp. In those days, marquetry was used mainly to create fine and luxury furniture; and only by royalty and members of t he nobility could afford it. The process was painstaking and expensive, especial ly the effort required to saw and cut expensive hardwood into thin tiles. Then t he tiles had to be glued and scraped, rubbed down, waxed and burnished. It was o nly towards the end of the 16th century that the jigsaw blade was invented, whic h made mass production possible.

Craftsmen skilled in the delicate art of marquetry are few and far between these days. It is a skill that requires not only experience and proficiency, but a lo t of patience. Consider this: covering a 10 x 12 wooden chest with marquetry depictin a nature or wildlife scene, for example, could require up to 50 individual piec es of veneer, derived from as many as 15 unique wood species like poplar, yellow pine, maple and walnut. It is not surprising then, that objects covered with ma rquetry are not cheap, but they are so unique and make such a dazzling fashion s tatement that they are well worth the cost. If you are beginner and would like to try your hand at simple marquetry, you nee d to follow a few basic steps. Nowadays thin veneers are more readily available, which makes your job a bit simpler. A number of easy-to-follow instructional vi deos are available on YouTube and other websites. Even if your initial efforts a re not good enough to sell, you will enjoy a relaxing and rewarding hobby. Wooden chests are available with a varied combination of shelves and compartment s inside. You can buy chests with felt ring holders, brass necklace pegs with a built-in elastic pouch to protect pendants and felt-lined rows for watches or br acelets. Some drawers are divided into felt-lined areas for bracelets, brooches and more. The internal partitions are often removable to make room for larger it ems. To sum up, marquetry-embellished wooden chests, accessory or valet boxes add ele gance and class to any surrounding and make stunningly beautiful and unique gift s that will be treasured for generations.